Biology subjects

Francken, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Francken, M..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

The oral microbiome of King Richard III of England

Metagenomic investigation of archaeological dental calculus has provided insights into the changing oral health, disease, and diet of past human societies, but little is known about the oral microbiota of exceptionally high-status individuals, whose diet and lifestyle sharply differed from the general population. Here we analyze the dental calculus metagenome of King Richard III of England (1452-1485) and compare it to new and previously published dental calculus metagenomes from predominantly non-elite contexts in England, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Germany spanning the Neolithic to the present. Deep sequencing and de novo assembly enabled the investigation of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from periopathogens within the genus Tannerella. DNA preservation within the dental calculus of King Richard III was found to be exceptional, yielding an extraordinarily well-preserved oral microbiota. Oral microbiome species diversity fell within the range previously observed among other northern European populations over the past 7,000 years, suggesting that a royal lifestyle and a rich diet did not substantially shift his oral microbiome composition. Reconstructed Tannerella genomes contained many virulence factors found today among periopathogens, including Tannerella forsythia. Insufficient plant and animal DNA was recovered to investigate diet, suggesting that dental calculus may not be a sufficient source of dietary DNA for dietary reconstruction, even when well-preserved. The dental calculus of King Richard III has produced one of the richest and best preserved ancient oral metagenomes studied to date and contributes to understanding the ecology and evolution of the human oral microbiome.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2023

Admixture as a source for HLA variation in Neolithic European farming communities

The northern European Neolithic is characterized by two major demographic events: immigration of early farmers (EF) from Anatolia (5500 BCE) and their admixture (from [~]4200 BCE) with western hunter-gatherers (WHG) forming late farmers (LF). The influence of this admixture event on variation in the immune-relevant human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region is understudied. Here, we conducted population and immunogenetic analyses on 83 individuals from six EF and LF sites located in present-day Germany. We observed significant shifts in HLA allele frequencies from EF to LF. The HLA diversity increased from EF to LF, likely due to admixture with WHG. However, it was considerably lower than in modern populations. Both EF and LF exhibited a relatively narrow HLA allele spectrum compared to today. This coincides with sparse traces of pathogen DNA, potentially indicating a lower pathogen pressure at the time. We additionally noted that LF resulted from sex-biased admixture from male WHG. TEASERMore restricted HLA allele spectrum and lower diversity in Neolithic farmers than in modern populations

genetics↗

bioRxiv2023

Socio-cultural practices affect sexual dimorphism in stature in Early Neolithic Europe

AbstractThe rules and structure of human culture impact health and disease as much as genetics or the natural environment. To study the origin and evolution of these patterns, we take a multidisciplinary approach combining ancient DNA, skeletal metrics, paleopathology, and stable isotopes. Our analysis focuses on cultural, environmental, and genetic contributions to variation in stature in four populations of Early Neolithic Europe. In Central Europe, low female stature is likely due to male preference in resource allocation under conditions of stress. In contrast, shorter male stature in Mediterranean populations may reflect a lack of preference. Our analysis suggests that biological consequences of sex-specific inequities can be linked to culture as early as 7000 years before present. Understanding these patterns is key to interpreting the evolution of genetic and socio-cultural determinants of health, and our results show that culture, more than environment or genetics, drove height disparities in Early Neolithic Europe.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2018

Out of Africa by spontaneous migration waves

Hominin evolution is characterized by progressive regional differentiation, as well as migration waves, leading to anatomically modern humans that are assumed to have emerged in Africa and spread over the whole world. Why or whether Africa was the source region of modern humans and what caused their spread remains subject of ongoing debate. We present a spatially explicit, stochastic numerical model that includes ongoing mutations, demic diffusion, assortative mating and migration waves. Diffusion and assortative mating alone result in a structured population with relatively homogeneous regions bound by sharp clines. The addition of migration waves results in a power-law distribution of wave areas: for every large wave, many more small waves are expected to occur. This suggests that one or more out-of-Africa migrations would probably have been accompanied by numerous smaller migration waves across the world. The migration waves are considered \"spontaneous\", as the current model excludes environmental or other factors. Large waves preferentially emanate from the central areas of large, compact inhabited areas. During the Pleistocene, Africa was the largest such area most of the time, making Africa the statistically most likely origin of anatomically modern humans, without a need to invoke additional environmental or ecological drivers.

evolutionary biology↗